Sole -Nuclear War, Volume 2: Death Panel (2011)

Very rarely do I agree with almost every single thing a person says. It truly must be who we’ve learned from.

Okay, but seriously now, who doesn’t know who Sole is? He’s practically a god of non-mainstream hip-hop. Founding member of the Anticon hip-hop collective (recently left to seek other opportunities), creative genius, Sole brings a passion to hip-hop that would make a particular “Young Money Democrat” shake in his boots. He works with a number of my favorite artists (Dose One, Sage Francis, Astronautalis, Eyedea, Busdriver…etc.), is incredibly versatile in his choice of topics and beats (contrasting what one might describe as “mainstream”), and simply speaks the truth. Expanding off of his first Nuclear War mixtape, Sole brings the ruckus once again, rapping over many of today’s most popular beats.

It’s sometimes scary to have your own opinion. I mean, I feel it all the time, bringing you reviews from bands you may hate, albums you may disregard as garbage, or even liking something I dislike. However, to bend your will to the masses is to give up your own freedom of speech, something Americans take for granted. From Soulja Boy’s “Let’s Get Real”, expressing his displeasure in the troops, to Kanye’s “Jesus Walks”, we must embrace all forms of speech and expression or fall to the censorship of totalitarian rulers [not to be sensationalist, but you get the picture]. Sole takes his rights and goes full force in Nuclear War, Volume 2: Death Panel, taking beats from songs like “Black & Yellow” and “ET” and finally uses them for good.

At first, I thought it was a joke. I heard “I Think I’m Noam Chomsky”, which completely blew me away. He was saying so many things I was feeling in my heart; finally, I found someone who didn’t subscribe to this “Republicrat v. Democran” system and also didn’t jump on the Tea Party bandwagon. I just had to dig deeper. What I found was a man with serious qualms with the modern world, including our use of energy, the distribution of wealth and pretty much everything the common person with blinders on misses. There honestly isn’t enough praise I can give for this album. In an act of defiance and detournement, Sole uses popular beats to rope you in and then uses his powerful messages to keep you there and make you think. The most real line I heard off this album was “For every Israeli citizen that dies, airstrikes kill four people living in Palestine”. People are just born to wake people from their slumber, and Sole holds the megaphone.

Rating: I just wish more people would heed this man’s words. May I do my part to bring you all what should have been said a long time ago. 4.5/5 kegs. [Author’s note: “We Stay Eatin'” makes me laugh so hard. I swear, this guy reads my mind]